Food, noise mark holiday revelry

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Blitar

Celebrating the Muslim Idul Fitri holiday in the remote hamlet of Kali Kuning, near Blitar in East Java, was unique. There was no extravagant party but just simple food with a lot of noise from the bedug (traditional drums) and the firecrackers.

Two days prior to Idul Fitri, villagers gathered for megengan, a ritual feast held at the mosque. Every family donated a tumpeng (ceremonial dish of yellow rice served in a cone shape) which was later eaten together.

On the eve of Idul Fitri, after they broke their final fast of Ramadhan, villagers, mostly men, gathered in the village mosque to conduct takbiran (recitation of Allahu Akbar, God the Greatest) all night.

The younger ones took part in a takbiran parade. Each carrying oncor (a small bamboo torch), they would board a truck equipped with a giant speaker system chanting praise to god.

The youths endlessly beat the drums and threw firecrackers at each other, ignoring the danger of the explosive devices.

Before making its way to Blitar city center to join other such revelers, the truck traveled around the subdistricts to pick up more participants.

It was almost dawn when the exhausted group returned to their village to prepare for the Idul Fitri prayer.

At around 6 a.m., the villagers hurriedly walked to the mosque, which was too small to accommodate all 150 families, to pray.

After the prayer, villagers returned to their homes to proceed with the sungkeman (a Javanese custom of asking forgiveness by kneeling and bowing their heads to the elder's knees).

Visiting one's neighbors is also a part of the ritual.

However, no ketupat (traditional food eaten at Idul Fitri wrapped in braided coconut palm fronds) was served during the holiday. The villagers only eat ketupat seven days after Idul Fitri.

For these Muslim villagers the essence of the holiday is forgiveness and frenzied revelry, these things are more meaningful than indulging in expensive food and decorations.